Proposal for resources, utilization and processes of red mud in India - A review

Red mud is a solid waste produced in the process of alumina production from bauxite following the Bayer process. More than 4 million tons of red mud is generated annually in India only. Presently, it is stored or dumped on land, or in the oceans near alumina refineries. However, its high alkalinity is a potential pollution to threat water, land and air. While high costs are associated with the large area of land required for storage of the residue. India is amongst the major producers of alumina in the world. There are some differences in mineralogical composition between the residues from India and other countries due to the difference in the ore type in its production processes. Significant achievements in treatment and utilization of red mud have been obtained in India in the last decade. In this paper, the various proposals for the utilization of red mud generated in India are presented. Similarly, the drawbacks associated with these potential commercial applications of red mud are discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.